CNN accidentally films motorcycle jewel heist

motorcycle_jewel_heist.jpgThe news network with coverage so ridiculous they put their headlines on t-shirts has captured its best action footage since the first Iraq war. While filming a segment on London’s Oxford Street for a book release, CNN’s cameras witnessed a bold daylight smash-and-grab raid on a jewelry store. The thieves used two motorcycles not only as getaway vehicles, but as cover — the riders revved the engines to cover the sound of the shop windows being broken with a sledgehammer.

Update: It looks like the same gang attacked our friends at Urban Rider, story after the jump.
>

The thieves apparently stole “handfuls” of luxury watches before
roaring off down Oxford Street and probably blending in with normal
London traffic as soon as they reached Marble Arch. No arrests have yet
been made.

Aggressively ridden motorcycles are such a common facet of London’s
traffic that they’d make the ideal getaway vehicles. Outwardly
indistinguishable from hundreds of other near-identical machines,
riders can pass through London’s gridlocked traffic both with speed and
stealth. We’re just surprised they got onto Oxford Street without being
noticed; it’s off-limits to everything but buses, delivery vehicles and
taxis. Realizing they’d succeeded, the thieves rode away flashing
V signs.

Will from Urban Rider says: We had a visit last week from what the police suspect to be the same crew.  Andrew was in the store on his own when 3 guys with balaclavas and helmets came in. 2 stole some helmets, the third tried to steal our S4RS Monster.  The first 2 ran to their bikes to ride off, at which point Andy was brave enough to rugby tackle the 3rd guy as he rode out of the shop.  They fell into the street and the bike went into the central reservation and is a write off, forks and headstock fucked. They got away, police are useless, shit happens.

CNN via Motorcycle News Guy

  • Zeitgeist

    I remember years ago they had signs in bank doors asking people to remove their helmets before entering. I am really surprised this does not happen more often here in the states.

  • http://www.piaggiousa.com/ Enthusiast

    Viral marketing for Triumph? Nah just a gang of homosexual biker thieves on the loose in London.

    But seriously a part of me is impressed

    • nicemonster

      Bikers? Check. Thieves? Check. Homosexuals? WTF dude? Is it because they are British? Or because they are riding a Triumph? (Looks like a Street Triple IMO) I guess you think that’s funny but it just makes you look like a douche.

    • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Grant Ray

      Those aren’t Triumphs. The dual-lamper is a Buell, not sure what the motard is…

      • James

        I thought one was a Buell too, but the mirrors and exhaust don’t match up.

        • http://artistruth.livejournal.com Will

          Concur on not being a Buell- brakes are also wrong. So what is it?

          Not a viral, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was guerrilla marketing. There sure were a lot of fucking people around.

          Motard could be a DRZ400SM? The headlight looks right, but forks look different.

  • uberbox

    smells viral to me…I’m predicting a movie about moto robbers in London, summer of ’09.

  • NTBH

    I love the fact that the discussion turns immediately to “what were they riding?”

  • Jeff Berry

    I think the one bike is a Moto Morini Corsaro. It’s definitely not a Triumph or a Buell.

  • Jonesy

    I Second the Moto Morini , the Super motard could be anything under the sun though lol

  • BOB

    You’re all wrong on their choice of getaway vehicle. One was a Super Duke (with a twin headlamp conversion) whilst the other was another KTM Supermoto thing. They were both ear-bleedingly loud and I know because I was cut up by these guys on a small back street off Oxford St on the way into work last Friday morning. I’m not sure if it was before or after they’d carried out the dastardly deed but they were riding as though they had to get somewhere real fast…

    The worrying thing for me is that a Speed Triple has been fingered as one of the vehicles used. I would like to point out that I was riding my black 02 S3 at the time of the aforementioned incident but had nothing to do with this lot of monkeys. Honest…

  • Ben

    That particular dual headlamp conversion (sometimes called Dominator headlights) is fairly common and relatively inexpensive. I’ve seen it on a heck of a lot of bikes including Honda Hornets, Suzuki GSXRs, Yamaha FZ1s, and many many more.

  • Gary Sideburn

    Anyone want a Rolex Yacht-Master II? Should be over £10,000. Yours for £1500.

  • thomashenny

    I once tried to loot the Goodwill store on 25th street in Chelsea but it took forever to kickstart my R75 so I had to return the vintage peacoat.

  • Scott

    wicked. FTW!

    step aside DB

  • mike g

    one is a buell and the other seems to be a suzuki dr-z 400? those guys are bloody giving us a bad name!